Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 6, 2026

Zanthoxylum punctatum

Zanthoxylum punctatum, also known as the, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae. It is a shrub or tree of the Caribbean, where it is native to the Bahamas, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, the Leeward Islands, Windward Islands, Netherlands Antilles, and Trinidad and Tobago. Its natural habitats are tropical dry broadleaf forests and tropical dry scrub. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Last revised
Jun 6, 2026
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Zanthoxylum punctatum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Zanthoxylum
Species:
Z. punctatum
Binomial name
Zanthoxylum punctatum
Subspecies2
  • Zanthoxylum punctatum subsp. obtriangulare (Urb.) Reynel
  • Zanthoxylum punctatum subsp. punctatum
  • Zanthoxylum punctatum subsp. thomasianum (Krug & Urb.) Reynel
Synonyms2

species synonyms:

synonyms of subsp. obtriangulare:

  • Fagara obtriangularis Urb.
  • Zanthoxylum obtriangulare (Urb.) J.Jiménez Alm.

synonyms of subsp. punctatum:

  • Fagara trifoliata Sw.
  • Tobinia ternata (Sw.) Desv.
  • Zanthoxylum ternatum Sw.
  • Zanthoxylum trifoliatum (Sw.) W.Wright

synonyms of subsp. thomasianum:

  • Fagara thomasiana Krug & Urb.
  • Zanthoxylum thomasianum Krug & Urb.

Zanthoxylum punctatum, also known as the , is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae. It is a shrub or tree of the Caribbean, where it is native to the Bahamas, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), Puerto Rico, the Leeward Islands, Windward Islands, Netherlands Antilles, and Trinidad and Tobago.2 Its natural habitats are tropical dry broadleaf forests and tropical dry scrub. It is threatened by habitat loss.1

Three subspecies are accepted:2

  • Zanthoxylum punctatum subsp. obtriangulare (Urb.) Reynel – Dominican Republic
  • Zanthoxylum punctatum subsp. punctatum – Bahamas, Hispaniola, Leeward Islands, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Windward Islands
  • Zanthoxylum punctatum subsp. thomasianum (Krug & Urb.) Reynel – Virgin Islands

Subspecies thomasianum, known as St. Thomas prickly-ash, is native to Puerto Rico, the British Virgin Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands, where it grows in dry forest and dry scrub.3 and is the only plant species on St. John listed as "endangered".4

References

References

  1. IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group.; Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). (2022). "Zanthoxylum punctatum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022 e.T208167630A208355662. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T208167630A208355662.en. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  2. "Zanthoxylum punctatum Vahl". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  3. Bárrios, S.; Hamilton, M.A. (2020). "Zanthoxylum thomasianum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T44007A183184159. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T44007A183184159.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  4. P. Acevedo-Rodríguez, FLORA OF ST. JOHN, U.S. VIRGIN ISLAND Archived 2012-03-17 at the Wayback Machine, MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN: 78: 1581. 1996.